Joe Saumarez Smith
Chairman of Bede Gaming and CEO/Founder of Sports Gaming Ltd
Joe Saumarez Smith (29 September 1971 – 8 February 2025) was a British businessman, journalist, and gambling expert. After earning a degree in politics from the University of Bristol and an MBA from Wharton, he worked as a journalist for the Sunday Telegraph, Daily Express, Sunday Express, and Racing Post before leaving the media in 1999.
In 2001 he founded Sports Gaming Ltd, a gambling management consultancy. He also founded BetUK.com (sold 2007), acquired and sold Vegas Insider (2003‑2007), and served as Chairman of Bede Gaming, a supplier of gaming platforms. In 2014 he joined the British Horseracing Authority as a non‑executive director, becoming its Chairman in March 2022. He stepped down from the BHA in January 2025 due to terminal cancer and died on 8 February 2025, aged 53.
He was widely credited with coining the term “Asian handicap” and was an active investor in numerous UK startups.
Career History
| Company | Role | Dates |
|---|---|---|
| Vegas Insider | Owner / Vendor | 2003-01-01 – 2007-01-01 |
| British Horseracing Authority | Non-Executive Director | 2014-01-01 – 2022-01-01 |
| British Horseracing Authority | Chair | 2022-01-01 – 2025-01-01 |
| Bede Gaming | Co-Founder and Chairman | – present |